This invention relates generally to the field of telephony, and more particularly to an improved sealing means for effectively preventing the accumulation of dust, dirt, vermin, and other formal material in the area of interconnection between an individual subscriber circuit protector module and the corresponding area upon an engaged protector block.
While most protector block installations are made with an enclosed premises, such as a telephone company central office, outdoor installations in which the protector block is only partially sheltered against the elements are becoming increasingly common. Typical examples are adjacent subscriber owned equipment including a maintenance termination unit. In such installations which may be on an external surface of a building wall, the protector block is housed within a metal box or similar enclosure which provides protection against rain and the like, but which is not hermetically sealed so that with passage of time, particles of dirt, insects and other particulate material may enter the box and implement the formation of corrosion upon the terminal pins or sockets in the module and the protector block at the surfaces of interconnection. While much has been accomplished to provide for the formation of vapor-tight connections which resist such corrosion, the precence of foreign material immediately adjacent said connections accelerates the formation of corrosion, because of retained moisture, thus effectively shortening the life of the vapor-tight connections. As this process occurs, the subscriber line becomes increasingly noisy, ultimately to a point where a service problem is created.